New Award Honors "Bridging"

Western Washington University honors six outstanding faculty members with annual awards highlighting the best in teaching, research and service to the campus community.

For the first time this year, the awards include the Carl H. Simpson Bridging Award, which recognizes and supports efforts to create bridges and forge new paths that others may follow and build upon. Carmen Werder, director of Writing Instruction Support and head of the Teaching-Learning Academy, is the winner of the inaugural award, which is named in memory of a 25-year WWU professor and administrator.

“Carl was a good friend of mine, and the award is really special to me,” Werder said. “I don’t think I’m in the same league as him, but I certainly do aspire to the kind of work he did.”

The other award winners are Assistant Geology Professor Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, honored with the Peter J. Elich Excellence in Teaching Award; Professor of Secondary Education Lorraine Kasprisin, winner of the Diversity Achievement Award; Huxley College of the Environment Assistant Professor Wendy Walker, who won the Excellence in Teaching Award; Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Michael Medler, honored with the Faculty Outstanding Service Award; and Biology Professor Merrill Peterson, who won the Paul J. Olscamp Research Award.

[More:]

All the honorees will be celebrated on campus at events this fall.

The teaching and diversity awards include $1,500 stipends to use for research, teaching  equipment and supplies, or professional enhancement.  The research and bridging award recipients each receive $1,000.

Carl H. Simpson Bridging Award

During her 24-plus years as a teacher and administrator at Western, Carmen Werder has consistently sought ways to bridge the gaps between the academic, professional and intellectual worlds of faculty, students and staff.

She currently serves as director of Western’s Writing Instruction Support, working with faculty throughout the university to improve Writing Proficiency courses and writing across the curriculum. And as a cluster facilitator for the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institutional Leadership Program, Werder leads faculty and students from six other institutions to integrate student voices into the study of teaching and learning. She leads those kinds of conversations on campus, too, as head of the Teaching-Learning Academy, a university-wide forum inspiring faculty, students, staff and administrators to share their perspectives on teaching and learning.

Werder earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WWU.

The Carl H. Simpson Award, new in 2008-2009, recognizes efforts to create bridges and forge new paths that others may follow and build upon. The award benefits a WWU staff, faculty member or student who demonstrates a remarkable ability or innovative approach to bridging some aspect of academic or campus life, and includes a $1,000 award.

Peter J. Elich Excellence in Teaching Award

Jackie Caplan-Auerbach’s enthusiastic classroom presentation style wins over many of her Geology 101 students, judging by the number of them who decide to become Geology majors. A former high school physics teacher, she knows how to highlight what’s exciting and relevant about Earth science to capture and keep students’ attention.

But her students also know Caplan-Auerbach is adept at challenging and guiding them through difficult material, such as the complicated mathematical concepts in her geophysics courses. Students also know her as an academic role model and research mentor: Caplan-Auerbach serves on a large number of graduate thesis committees and advises many undergraduates’ independent senior research projects. Many of these students end up publishing and presenting their research in journals and at conferences.

Caplan-Auerbach earned a doctorate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Earth Science and Technology. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Yale University.

The Peter J. Elich Excellence in Teaching award, which includes a $1,500 stipend, is provided through donations to the Western Washington University Foundation to recognize Peter J. Elich’s years of service as dean of the former College of Arts and Sciences. Honorees are chosen from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Sciences and Technology.

Diversity Achievement Award

Lorraine Kasprisin has served Western for nearly 30 years as an educator, philosopher and scholar. Devoted to sharing perspectives on diversity and social justice, her work reaches students, educators, practitioners and scholars at Western and throughout the world.

Most recently Kasprisin founded the highly acclaimed Journal of Educational Controversy. This peer reviewed electronic journal is a significant contributor to the body of research on diversity and brings international attention to Western.

“Lorraine has a very respectful and graceful way of bringing up traditionally challenging topics,” said John Korsmo, assistant professor of Human Services. “Her work has heightened public awareness at Western and has drawn attention to diversity by holding people accountable.” 

Kasprisin earned a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the City College of New York.

The Diversity Achievement Award, which includes a $1,500 stipend funded through the Western Washington University Foundation, recognizes outstanding contributions to enhancing multiculturalism on campus and beyond. These contributions include research, programming, leadership, teaching and service to students and the community.

Excellence in Teaching Award

Wendy Walker has spent the last 18 years inspiring Western students to reach their full academic and personal potential by learning from each other. An alumna of Western herself, Walker believes in experiential education: learning by doing. After providing a knowledge base and theoretical framework in class, Walker challenges students to apply that knowledge and develop their own skills to solve real-world problems.

A prime example is Spring Block, a set of four courses in which students prepare for and teach environmental education lessons to elementary and high school students. “Spring Block is almost all-consuming for students and faculty alike, including as it does over 25 days in the field,” said Associate Professor Gene Meyers, who co-teaches Spring Block with Walker. “Wendy is the mastermind of this often life-changing experience.”

Walker’s teaching effectiveness isn’t best measured by end-of-course evaluations, said Associate Huxley Professor John F. McLaughlin, but by her continuing influence on former students. “Students forget facts quickly, but they retain critical thinking modes longer,” McLaughlin wrote, “and they hold onto inspiration longest.”

Walker earned a master’s degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee, and a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate from WWU.

The Excellence in Teaching Award is given to a faculty member of the College of Business and Economics, Fairhaven College, the College of Fine and Performing Arts, Huxley College of the Environment or Woodring College of Education. Selection is based on nominations from alumni, students or faculty members and the award’s $1,500 stipend is made possible through the Western Washington University Foundation.

Faculty Outstanding Service Award

Michael Medler, an expert in pyrogeography, studies how to map and predict the phenomena associated with forest fires in the American West. His study of forest fires dates back to his stint as a fire fighter for the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon in the 1980s. Today, he’s a national expert in the field of fire ecology and past president of the Association for Fire Ecology. He also founded the association’s online journal and recently testified before Congress on the link between climate change and fire behavior.

On campus, Medler serves as Huxley College’s of Environmental Studies’ representative to the President’s Waterfront Development Committee, securing more than $50,000 in grants to help Huxley plan for a move to the waterfront. He developed the popular Huxley College Speaker Series, chaired the college’s Community Affairs Committee and serves as the department’s adviser to students earning a master’s degree in geography. In the community, Medler works with the Bellingham Mountaineers as a volunteer climbing instructor.

Medler earned a doctorate from the University of Arizona and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oregon.

The Faculty Outstanding Service Award, funded through the Western Washington University Foundation, honors a faculty member whose efforts have enriched the intellectual vitality of the campus and broader community. The award includes a $1,500 stipend for expenses related to service-focused activities.

Paul J. Olscamp Research Award

Merrill Peterson is a rigorous, highly regarded field biologist whose research explores ecological and evolutionary theory. His latest research, examining two closely related beetles living in a “hybrid zone” in Eastern Washington, has made important contributions to our understanding of the origin of species. Funded by a recent $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Peterson’s research has appeared in well-regarded journals such as “Evolution,” for which he has also served as an associate editor. He’s also prolific, with at least 14 peer-reviewed papers or book chapters published since 2000.

Peterson is also known as an important mentor to students. He collaborates with graduates and undergraduates with whom he often co-authors research papers. And he established a summer research internship program for underrepresented minority students.

Fascinated with insects since childhood, Peterson shares his passion and knowledge with the broader community, answering calls from the public about bug-related questions and giving talks to groups of nature enthusiasts. He is currently writing a field guide to insects in the Pacific Northwest to be published by the Seattle Audubon Society.

Peterson earned a doctorate from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington.

The Paul J. Olscamp Research Award was established in 1983 through an endowment provided by former WWU President Paul J. Olscamp. An award of $1,000 is presented annually to a WWU faculty member selected by the Research Advisory Committee and the President for having made an outstanding contribution to research and scholarship.